Humor Writing: The Rules of Comedy

Andrew Shaffer

Andrew Shaffer is the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen humorous books, including Penguin Random House’s How to Survive a Sharknado, the Ghostbusters tie-in Ghosts from Our Past, and the Goodreads Choice semifinalist Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. He is a full-time freelance writer whose writing has appeared in Mental Floss, Maxim, and many other magazines and websites.

Andrew studied with Iowa Writers’ Workshop instructors at the University of Iowa, where he earned a B.A. in English and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in marketing. An Iowa native, he lives in Lexington with his wife, novelist Tiffany Reisz.

Venue:

Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning

Time:

10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Meets On:

Saturday, March 10

Address:

251 West Second St.
Lexington,
KY,
40507

Cost:

$30

With Andrew Shaffer.

“Explaining humor is a lot like dissecting a frog,” Mark Twain allegedly said. “You learn a lot in the process, but in the end you kill it.” Thankfully, we’ve learned a lot about humor since Twain’s day. It’s now possible to dissect what makes something funny—and have fun doing t. New York Times bestseller and author of over half a dozen humorous books Andrew Shaffer will explain the “rules of comedy,” and offer tips on incorporating humor into your writing toolkit. Students will learn about hyperbole, repetition, and other basic comedic techniques and experiment with each through in-class exercises. No frogs or comedians will be dissected.